A Mothering Visit
by skyhighdreamer
Summary: Katara finds a letter on her pillow one night asking her to meet a stranger. So she takes off from the palace and tells only the Avatar where she s going. Zutara Post War.


Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

"Lady Katara," The waiter asked, calling her by a name she was slowly becoming accustomed to. "Will you be dining individually or will others be joining you party?"

"Just one other, thank you." The waiter led her to a small wooden table in a corner of the teahouse. It was a quaint little teahouse, ordained in red and gold. A balcony was accessible through the second floor, giving the option to dine inside or outside. It was located far from the capital, some people not even knowing who she was by appearance, causing Katara to suspect something. She had traveled two days to meet someone here. She pulled out the scroll and scanned the letter once again.

_To the Lady Katara,_

_You will have no idea of who is addressing you in this letter, but I swear by my honor that I am someone you can trust. I do apologize for the secrecy, but no one must be made aware of this letter. I am asking you to meet with me at Dragon's Tongue Teahouse in a week's time. This is not solely for me, but for him._

When she first had found the letter on the bed she had thought it a joke. Who would want to meet with her? Though when either Iroh or Toph made not one pun, she began to see the writer of the letter may be serious. So, to keep the trust of the writer, told only Aang where she was going when she had left four days after finding the letter.

"Don't worry Aang." She had consoled him. "I fought Azula. I am pretty confident that I can take care of myself. Just tell the others I went to see Suki." She hugged the avatar, climbed on the sky bison, and began to fly.

So she here she was, not only to appease her own curiosity and the wants of the letter's author, but the letter had said for him.

The waiter appeared at her side. "My Lady, the other member of your party has arrived." Katara looked over by the door and gasped. All her suspicions left her when she saw the hooded figure. Even shadowed Katara could see the resemblance. Her posture was the same and she drew the same attention he did when he would enter a room openly. He was every bit his mother's child.

When gold and blue eyes met across the room, a shy smile crossed over both faces. The exiled Fire Nation Princess made her way to the table. The waiter pulled her chair out, and swept off. Ursa smiled. "Hello Katara."

Her voice was gentle, and her beauty was still captivating. Her hair color was the same as Azula and flowed down her back. But looking his eyes, once those of Ozai's, then Iroh, became those of his mother. The physical resemblance ended there. But something of Ursa reminded her of him.

Had she been Toph, she had replied with something witty. If she was Mai, she would sigh and ask Ursa what she wanted. Though, she was neither of the two. She was Katara of the southern Water Tribe. She replied with a simple "hello."

Ursa smiled again. "I apologize if my letter frightened you, but I had to meet you."

Complimented, Katara was still confused. Her smile faded a bit. "As great a pleasure as this, why would you meet with me? Why wouldn't you ask Zuko to meet you here? Or why not come to the palace?"

Ursa's smile to faded as the waiter came to them. "Excuse me, but have you made a selection yet?"

"A jasmine tea please." Katara asked for the same thing and looked back to Ursa. "It was the only kind Zuko would drink while he was growing up." She took a deep breath and began her tale. " I was banished because I-"

Katara began shaking her head. "You do not need to explain that. I already know. Ozai told Zuko who told me. You loved him very much to do a thing to protect him." There was no reason for Ursa to have to relive it.

"Yes" Ursa demeanor became protective. "And I still do. He's my son. I want him to be with a women who makes him happy and is truly worthy of him."

"So is that why we are here.?" Katara had not traveled this far to be told she was unworthy of Zuko, especially by a person whose approval she wanted more than anything in the world. "Do you not think I am worthy of your son?"

Ursa smiled again. "No Katara, that is nothing like it." Katara felt her blood pressure fall. "I just wished to meet you. I didn't know whether he would be looking for me. I left him to fare for himself and that could have ruined a chance at a relationship." She changed the subject. "Do not fret about my approval, because you have it. I have heard of your actions during the war in the Fire Nation to help improve. And I am told of the love Zuko has for you."

"Thank you." Katara said with much gratitude. Yet, some of her questions still remained unanswered. "Why is it that you would arrange a meeting with me and not Zuko?"

"I am honor bound. It was part of Ozai's torture for loving our child more than I sis him. I do not think you can understand how cruel a man he was." Katara was more than willing to debate that. "I was never to make contact with a Fire Nation citizen who could make contact with Zuko. But I was permitted to make contact to him after he married and was on the throne, something Ozai thought he would make impossible. And somehow, by the gods' good graces, he chanced upon you, who is obviously not a citizen of the Fire Nation, or at least yet. So I wanted to meet you and see how Zuko was doing."

Katara smiled. "Zuko is being, well himself. He is good, so he must be like you. He overworks himself, hoping to do what should take years in months. He always is trying to please the council, because they did not think I was the best choice as future Fire Lady. So he has become very tolerant of them, strangely enough."

Ursa giggled. "So he has finally learned patience. He was such good boy but his patience level was a bit testy."

Then it was Katara's turn to laugh. "Oh no. I don't think he'll ever truly learn patience. What he has learned is not to anger those who can revolt." Ursa laughed at the explanation.

Ursa's gaze came across a shine and she took notice. Instead of the trademark blue necklace, passed from generation to generation in he family, was a red silky fabric. The stone had red and blue meeting in the middle creating a very thin line of purple. Carve lovingly into the red were flames, as detailed waves stormed across the blue.

"It's a beautiful necklace. He must have worked very hard on it." At the mention of her necklace she began to play with the stone at her throat.

"He did, he worked on it for at least a month before he purposed. He's really crafty and works hard."

The two had been sitting by the turtle duck pond when they had fallen asleep it was so late. Katara had awoken to Zuko untying her mother's necklace. "What in the name of La do you think you are doing?" She pulled away from him as he moved his hands away from her neck. But before she was far enough away from him, he dangled the red necklace before her.

"I was hoping to replace it with this one. It may not go with your eyes as well , but it is much better suited for the Fire Lady robes than blue."

After watching the necklace for a few seconds in disbelief, she turned her gaze to Zuko with a playful smile. "So sure I'd say yes?"

He began to lower it around her bare neck and when she didn't protest he tied it. "Of course. You love me too much to say no." She felt the stone warm against the base of her throat. "Plus, I had a tip from a blind Earthbender I know. She told me my girlfriend was talking about weddings." He kissed the top of her head.

Katara told the story to Ursa, for the sake of something to talk about and she loved telling that story. "Not the most romantic is he?" Ursa questioned.

Katara shook her head with a giggle. "No, but he has his moments. But he trusted me enough to let me in and he knows how to love somebody. Being in his arms feels safe and content." She smiled at Ursa "That is all I want."

Ursa returned the smile. She looked down in her lap. "I was so worried after I left. What would happen to Zuko and Azula? Would they become as Ozai had, selfish and power hungry. It's the legacy of their family. Would my children hate me?" She looked back at Katara, as if she could compensate for all the time lost through her son's soul mate. "You have to understand. I did it for him, so that he may have a life. I knew it was unlikely that I would ever see him again but I had to keep him alive. Even if it meant taking my father-in-laws life."

Katara, surprising Ursa, walked around the table and hugged the older woman. "Zuko would never hate you. He loves you very much. You are always on his mind, and he wants nothing more than to find you. And all the resemblance between him and Ozai ends physically." Ursa rested her hand on Katara and was grateful that the second floor of the teahouse was deserted. Katara continued. "I understand and so does Zuko. Zuko even realized that Ozai might have had you killed. And I can only hope I love my children as much as you do."

"Thank you Katara." Ursa lifted her hand from Katara's back. Katara took the signal that Ursa was okay and returned to her chair. Both women sipped their tea.

"I wanted more than anything for you to like me. In the South Pole, a man must ask a father for his daughter's hand. Though I think the mother should also have a say, they love their children just as much as a father does."

Thus began four hours of conversation between the two most important women in the Fire Lord's life, unbeknownst to him. They spoke of matter from wedding customs and the traditional Fire Nation wedding Zuko and she would have, the international cuisine they would have at the reception, the Fire Palace, pros and cons of being royalty, those in Zuko's close circle and arrived at the topic of children.

"Do you have any preferences?" Ursa asked, smiling at Katara's blushing face.

Katara looked out at the sunset. "When the time for children comes, I just want my children to be healthy. Though when our firstborn son arrives I hope he is a fire bender and looks exactly like Zuko, so he can take the throne, and name him after Iroh or Lu Ten."

Ursa smiled at the names. "With one of those names the child would be well named. But do you fear having a waterbending child? "

Katara shook her head. "Not at all. In fact I am looking forward to it. But we need a firebending boy to take the throne, and it would be better for him as an heir apparent to appear Fire Nation. I do not want Zuko to be called an unfit Fire Lord. So a good heir must be born. All of our children will be loved but us equally but I cannot speak for the entire nation. And I realize as Fire Lady it is also part my responsibility to have that child and raise him be the greatest Fire Lord he can be."

Ursa nodded. "It's kind of over whelming. But don't worry; you will do well with all of my grandchildren. What about girls? Any names for them picked out?"

"Maybe Kaya after my mother. She was killed in a Fire Nation raid. Or Kanna for my grandmother. Zuko said the only female he would name our child after was you or Iroh's late wife."

The conversation moved to the Dragon of the West and he was doing, running his teahouse in Ba Sing Se and advising Zuko. "He's extremely eager for the wedding to come quickly."

"I wonder why that is? He was always one for living in the moment."

"He's also very eager for great nieces and nephews"

After another two hours passed, Ursa made a suggestion. "You should head home. If you leave soon you should be able to fly straight through the night and be back to Zuko a little after breakfast time."

Katara smiled. "I miss him so much. I will but wont you please come with me?" Katara asked. "Appa has more than enough room. We can send someone for you stuff at a later time."

Ursa refused. "I am not allowed. But once you are officially married before the Fire Sages then I can speak with my son. Though, I swear by all my love for my son, I will watch you to marry and dance with him at your wedding party. Can you tell him I'll be there, so he no longer thinks me dead."

"Of course. I'll do whatever I can to help you."

"Thank you." Ursa turned and reached into her cloak. She withdrew a small scroll from the pocket. When she unrolled it carefully, it being worn down with being opened so many times and having fingers run over it, Katara stared at it in awe. "Zuko did it when he was six years old. It was one of the few things I took along with me when I was banished."

The picture was of two stick figures, Ursa, wearing a crown, and Zuko. They sat beside a pond with ducks swimming in it. The handprint of a young Zuko had been placed on the picture and his name was written sloppily in the formal Fire nation script. "Give it to him and he will know. Tell him I said I love him and will be here soon. But that is all you can say."

Katara clutching the scroll, now rolled up to her chest, nodded. "It will be the first thing I do."

Ursa and Katara both rose from the small table. Unsure of what to do, Katara stood until she was cradled in Ursa's arms. "Thank you, daughter. I will see you after the wedding. Look in the crowd and know one of your mothers is proud of you."

With a kiss to the forehead, Ursa was gone as quickly as she came, leaving Katara with Zuko's childhood art and a promise of seeing her again.

When Katara arrived back at the palace she saw Aang already in the stable. "Hey, boy." He patted Appa on the head. He then looked up at Katara, still holding the scroll. "I'll ask you about it later. You better go look for Zuko. He's been raving about you for four days."

"Thank you Aang." She headed to his office where he would usually be at this time of day. She knocked on his door and heard a frustrated and muffled "Enter."

He sat there behind his ancient desk wearing the casual tunic and pants he wore unless there was a formal function going on. Katara could hardly imagine him as the child who drew his mother the picture she was holding. When he looked up, Katara met his gaze and smiled. His eyes as angry and worried as they were still showed the love he had for her. "Where have you been?" He seethed.

He stood and made his way over to her. Before he could do anything Katara ran into his arms and hugged him. His arms slowly went around her, holding her tight. "I missed you." She whispered.

"Where were you?" he asked again, less angry. "You lied. I sent messages to Kyoshi to Suki-" He was cut off by Katara.

She spent one more second in his arms before she pulled away. "I can't tell you exactly but I'm fine. But I am supposed to give you this." She handed him the scroll. She watched as he unrolled the scroll, and saw the spark of recognition in his eyes after looking at it for a few seconds. When he looked at her he questioned her. "Where did you get this? I spent weeks looking for it when-"

Once again she cut him off "It will all be explained soon. I am supposed to tell you she will se you soon and that she loves you very much." His gold eyes, so like hers, looked up from the scroll and back to her.

He scrolled it up again and placed it on the desk. "Okay. I'll wait. I love you and when its time I want a long explanation." He wrapped her in his arms and hugged her close. His head rested on hers. "A very long explantion.


End file.
